Former Rutgers player Jackeline Lopez encourages learning languages

Ask Dunwoody, Ga. resident and former DI tennis player at Rutgers, Jackeline Lopez what Hispanic Heritage Month means to her and you'll get more than the standard answer.

"It means representing my culture and traditions," shared Lopez. "But, also about sharing ideas and experiences."

But as a Linguistics major as an undergraduate and now in Piedmont University graduate school for Speech Pathology, Lopez is keen on explaining how learning languages is not only important for tennis players and athletes, but for anyone looking to expand their horizons. 

Speaking multiple languages

"I think speaking multiple languages gives you multiple opportunities. It helps you connect with others and gives you different perspectives. I was fortunate to grow up in a bilingual household, and that enhanced my experiences in sports."

Lopez's athletic journey begins in the pool. She was a swimmer from the ages of 4 to 10. She started playing tennis at 10, and her list of accomplishments grew from there. Her father introduced her to tennis and took her to her first lesson.

"I loved watching Maria Sharapova. I went to train in Spain at 14 for six months at the David Ferrer Academy and was able to see how there are different methods and perspectives of coaching," she explained.

Being fluent in both English and Spanish helped when she started playing tournaments and competing in the US and Mexico.  It was when she started playing ITF juniors at the age of 15 that she figured she could play DI tennis.

Lopez’s tennis accolades include being a 2018 USTA Southern Cup finalist, a U16 National Level 3 champion and a three-time ITF Grade 5 doubles champion. She comes from an athletic family. Her two sisters played collegiately. Alma received a DI full scholarship for swimming at Saint Peter's, and Anakaren received a full scholarship for cross country/track and field at Louisiana-Monroe.

Dean’s List at Rutgers

Competing for four years at Rutgers, Lopez compiled a 55-61 record in singles and 38-40 in doubles, mostly against Big 10 foes. She made the Dean's List as a junior and senior, while also being recognized as a Rutgers Scholar-Athlete.

"My experience in college was great," explained Lopez. "Freshman year was difficult with going to a big school. (For) tennis, the team environment was exciting. I started getting used to it during my sophomore year. I enjoyed hanging out with teammates and growing as a person."

Lopez said she enjoyed sharing her multicultural experiences with her friends and teammates. Everything from food to holidays to stories. She also knew she wanted to be a Linguistics major with minors in Education and Spanish. 

"I was fortunate to grow up in a Spanish-speaking household. My goal is to be a practicing speech pathologist."

Speech pathologists help individuals improve speech production, language understanding and use, social communication and cognitive-communication skills. Lopez advises anyone, regardless of their age, to learn another language.

“Even more than two,” stated Lopez. “It's imperative for being in the tennis world, for teaching and even shopping and traveling. Introduce another language to someone when they are young. The syntax and the form of each language is different. It's Important to introduce languages to a young child.” 

Lopez is currently pursuing a postgraduate degree in speech pathology. Her first goal is to earn a Master's degree and possibly pursue a Ph.D. in the future.

“I continue to prepare like a student athlete prepares, especially in grad school.  In any academic environment, be organized, be disciplined and work hard. Your professors like those qualities you learned from being an athlete.”

When time allows, she is also still spending time on the tennis court, playing and giving back, while working with junior players

"Just like any sport and tennis can give you multiple opportunities, I think speaking multiple languages offers multiple opportunities."

USTA Southern commemorates National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.